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“Our government understands that Canadian businesses need to innovate and create high-quality jobs in order to succeed and thrive in the global economy,” said Minister Shea. “Island Abbey recognizes this and they have experienced impressive success to date and have ambitious plans for the future. Our government is pleased to support Island Abbey’s efforts to increase production capacity to keep up with market demand.”

Island Abbey Foods Ltd. is the first in the world to develop a unique platform technology for the dehydration of 100 per cent` pure honey into a solid form which maintains all of the raw honey’s natural properties. Honibe – Pure Honey Joy® is the company’s brand of specialized pure dried honey products. After ten years of research and development, and collaboration with BIO|FOOD|TECH, the product was perfected and introduced in 2008 to the global market and will soon be transported to the International Space Station as part of the official Canadian Space Agency Snacks for Space Competition.

”This new facility in the PEI BioCommons Reseach Park demonstrates the value of government support of this section,” said Minister Roach. “Island Abbey Foods is taking their company to the next level with this expanded production and research capacity. The new facility provides opportunity to grow both production and staffing capacity,”

The Government of Canada, through ACOA’s Business Development Program, has invested $500,000 in this project with Island Abbey Foods towards the purchase of equipment for a new and innovative processing line. This will enable the company to increase production capacity to meet escalating national and international market demand. The Government of Prince Edward Island has invested $187,155 through their Rental Incentive program for five years on 12,000 square feet of space. Island Abbey Foods is also a recipient of the Premier’s Medal for Innovative program, an award of $400,000.

Island Abbey Foods Ltd. has used its proprietary platform technology developed to produce Honibe® Honey Drop®, and has applied it to other grocery and health products. The company has garnered international recognition for its unique products including the most prestigious food award in the world at the SIAL Paris 2010. The company has evolved from its initial trials at a pilot plant, to its own production facility, occupying 5,000 square feet, and now to its new home of a little over 12,000 square feet of office and production space.

”We are extremely excited about our expansion into the PEI BioCommons Research Park,” stated John Rowe, President of Island Abbey Foods Ltd. “Our little honey company has been growing by leaps and bounds over the past several years. We intend to continue on this hockey stick growth curve, and it would not be possible without this financing support from the Provincial and Federal governments which has enabled our move into a larger production facility.”